DOJ Sends Election Monitors to CA & NJ: Democrats Sound Alarm on Voter Intimidation Concerns

The Department of Justice has announced plans to dispatch election monitors to polling sites in both California and New Jersey for the upcoming general election on November 4. This move is aimed at promoting transparency and ensuring adherence to federal voting laws.

According to a press release from the Justice Department, representatives from the Civil Rights Division will be deployed to six specific areas: Passaic County in New Jersey, and Kern, Riverside, Fresno, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties in California. Attorney General Pamela Bondi emphasized that this initiative is designed to uphold “election integrity” and ensure that “the American people receive the fair, free, and transparent elections they deserve.”

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon stressed the importance of transparent election processes and monitoring as vital measures to protect the integrity of elections and maintain public trust. Acting U.S. Attorney underscored the commitment of his office to vigorously uphold the election process’s integrity, while Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba highlighted the necessity of ensuring that every eligible voter can participate freely and every legitimate vote is counted.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sharply condemned the announcement in a video message, claiming the Trump administration had “no basis” to send monitors into California polling sites. “This is about voter intimidation. This is about voter suppression, period, full stop,” Newsom declared. He accused federal officials of creating “a chill” through the “federalization of the National Guard” and portrayed the move as similar to “masked men” from ICE or Border Patrol appearing near voting locations. “They do not believe in fair and free elections,” Newsom continued. “Our republic, our democracy, is on the line.”

In a series of posts on X, Newsom wrote, “Donald Trump’s puppet DOJ has no business screwing around with next month’s election,” and called the move “a deliberate attempt to scare off voters and undermine a fair election.” He also asserted, “Trump is sending the DOJ to California to ‘monitor’ the election. His intentions are clear — he wants to suppress the vote. And when we win, he will falsely lay claim to fraud. We will not be intimidated.”

Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) also criticized the plan, writing on X:

There is no credibility to the Department of Justice’s announcement made just hours before Donald Trump holds a campaign event with Jack Ciattarelli. This is clearly a political act led by election denier Pam Bondi. This isn’t about election integrity, it’s about the Trump Administration trying to intimidate voters and cast doubt on our legitimate and secure democratic process.

The Justice Department also pointed out that the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section is responsible for enforcing critical federal laws, including the Voting Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Furthermore, the Department is open to receiving public complaints regarding potential violations of federal voting rights laws up to and including Election Day.

This initiative comes at a time of increased scrutiny over election procedures. Recently, a California voter was sent two mail-in ballots for the same individual, raising concerns about the state’s mail-in voting system and ballot-harvesting laws. This incident is part of a broader national discussion on the structure of elections. Breitbart News contributor Peter Schweizer has pointed out that race-based congressional apportionment and gerrymandered “minority-majority” districts have skewed representation towards Democrats for years. He also highlighted concerns about errors in the 2020 Census and the lack of transparency in federal algorithms, which have fueled ongoing debates about election fairness across the country.

The deployment comes amid heightened scrutiny of election procedures. Earlier this month, a California voter received two mail-in ballots for the same person, one example of broader concerns about the state’s mail-in system and ballot-harvesting laws. The issue coincides with broader debates over how elections are structured nationwide. Breitbart News contributor Peter Schweizer recently highlighted how race-based congressional apportionment and gerrymandered “minority-majority” districts have tilted representation toward Democrats for decades. He noted that errors in the 2020 Census and opaque federal algorithms have fueled new concerns about election fairness nationwide.